Many economists attribute the persistence of occupational sex segregation to the choices that women make in preparing for and on entering the labor market, while other economists argue that occupational sex segregation is the result of such factors as discrimination and sex role socialization. An alternative test of the occupational choice explanation for sex segregation is developed. Marital status is used as a proxy for differential commitment to the labor market, and atrophy rates are estimated for married and never married women. By dividing the sample of mature women in the National Longitudinal Survey for 1967 status, a test is conducted of the human capital prediction that women with less intermittent labor force participation opt for occupations characterized by a greater penalty for intermittence. The results suggest that, while expectations concerning labor force participation appear to guide women's preparation for the labor market and while other job characteristics may influence occupational sorting, differential atrophy rates have not been proven to be fundamental in guiding women's occupational choices.

Inequality of wage rates has widened in the United States. But in equality of earnings also depends on the distribution of hours worked. If the distribution of hours contracts sufficiently, earnings inequality may narrow despite a widening wage structure. The present study examines recent trends in inequality for young workers and. consistent with the preceding scenario, finds that rising inequality of wage rates has been overwhelmed by declining inequality of hours worked. As a consequence, earnings inequality of young workers declined during the 1980s.

Prior research on minimum wage employment tends to assume that coverage is either universal or easily estimated. In reality, coverage of teenagers and youth is low and results from a diversity of both employer and employee characteristics. Failure to recognize this has biased prior estimates of noncompliance and displacement. This paper uses the NLSY to document the prevalence of below-minimum wage jobs among young workers and show their links to both worker and employer characteristics.

This research presents an examination of racial and gender differences in differences in earnings distributions among a sample of young workers. Using data from the 1987 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we utilize an ordered-response logit model to estimate the probability of a white male being in a given position in the earnings distribution, based on his human capital and other personal characteristics. We then generate "predicted" probabilities of given earnings positions for individual black males, black females, and white females. Non-parametric tests indicate that significant differences exist between the actual and predicted earnings distributions for all of the racial and gender groups studied. We interpret this as evidence of the impact of differential treatment in the labor market. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Labor economics literature provides evidence that marital dissolution induces an increase in labor supply of females. This paper explores an explanation for this finding: Marital separation might place wives at risk of losing health insurance or increase the need for expanded health coverage. Thus, wives must increase their labor supply in order to qualify for health benefits. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, results confirm that marital dissolution is associated with increased female labor supply. However, this effect is mostly concentrated among women who were not previously enrolled in their husbands' health insurance plans. For wives who were dependent on their husbands for coverage, continuing coverage laws appear to mitigate the effect of marital dissolution on female labor supply. [Copyright Elsevier]

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Bibliography Citation

Zimmer, David M. "The Role of Health Insurance in Labor Supply Decisions of Divorced Females." Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 50,2 (May 2010): 121-131.